Hardships Overcome in Old Grenada

The volcano-laden island of Grenada bustled with tourism on this sweltering afternoon. As my wife and I climbed steeply through winding streets to Fort George, overlooking the capital city of St.Georges, we realized there were no easy ways to get around in this country. We would need to limit our walking tour it seemed.

Gazing seaward, we observed the stark contrast between the mass of cruise passengers exiting the vessel and the apparent poverty that lined the crowded streets in my present location. This was not exactly what was expected from a tropical paradise. However, it felt very safe to walk and there was a familiar comfort of obvious British influence here.

Seeking an inexpensive option to escape from the congested town, we next hopped on an island taxi for a short ride to the renowned, Grand Anse Beach. Upon arrival, I bought a coconut from an amiable beachcomber who put on a nice show for us in cutting the coconut for me to drink. Sadly, there was only time for a brief walk along the inviting shores.

I would have found this experience more rewarding at Fort George and Grand Anse Beach  if we had arrived in a cooler part of the day when it was less crowded. Furthermore, while I looked forward to ambling around this paradise today, the pressure of adhering to the set time schedule of arrival/departure tended to  limit  my independent exploration options. Lastly, I found less incentive to sample unique, local cuisines here after becoming conditioned to the ease of indulging in an endless buffet onboard ship to my heart’s content.

I do not consider these limitations insurmountable though. Through diligent consideration of allotted excursion times and judicious use of my digital devices, I can successfully conduct my own island excursions. Essentially, by avoiding waste of my tourist energy, I will always value “quality” over “quantity” in prioritizing my independent explorations.